Loose Ends
by NocturneX
Summary: Side-story from my alternate timeline story "The Living Key", set a few months after the end of Part 1. As Cosmo Canyon's residents look forward to an upcoming wedding, fourteen-year-old Sephiroth travels from Banora to attend the festivities. However, he and his loved ones soon discover that there are still some past issues that still haunt them...
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Here's my side piece, which is related to my main epic story "The Living Key". Quick background if this is the first story of mine you've clicked on: in an alternate timeline, Sephiroth fled from the Shinra along with Aerith and her mother Ifalna. As a result, Ifalna was not killed in the escape, and the three of them were able to get out of Midgar. They settled in Cosmo Canyon, but Sephiroth left soon after to join a temple of monks located near Banora, on the island of Mideel.

Feel free to check out the main story if you haven't yet.

* * *

Chapter 1:

"This is the three of us at the Equinox Festival," fourteen-year-old Sephiroth said as he showed a picture to Ifalna, and six-year-old Aerith.

The three of them, along with Ifalna's fiancée Barnabas Duran, sat at the kitchen table. They had finished eating dinner, and now Sephiroth had taken out a few photographs he had brought from Mideel. Some of them were simply pictures of the tropical island's beautiful landscape, but others were of him and his two new friends, Angeal and Genesis.

"The red-haired one is pretty," said Aerith.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes. "You're not the first girl to say that…nor will you be the last."

"Which is the one who likes to garden?" Ifalna asked.

"Angeal," Sephiroth replied as he pointed to the raven-haired boy.

"There's a lot more pictures of him than there are of Genesis," Barnabas observed, "Does Genesis not like getting his picture taken or something?"

"He's going through his 'bird phase'," Sephiroth said dryly.

"Bird phase…?" Ifalna repeated confusedly. Then a look of understanding suddenly dawned on her face. "Ohhhh…"

"You have a friend who likes birds?" Aerith asked, not getting it.

"Seph's friend likes to make rude gestures at the camera," Ifalna explained.

"Oh, you mean he likes to stick his middle finger up!" Aerith said brightly.

Ifalna nearly choked on her tea. "Where did you learn about that?" she coughed, putting her hand to her burning chest. Had Aerith been sneaking out of bed to watch late-night TV during their captivity?

"Stevie Altney does that in class when the teacher isn't looking," said Aerith, "But one time, she caught him and sent him home with a note pinned to his shirt, telling him his mom and dad need to sign it."

"Wonderful," Ifalna sighed, "This is what I send you to school to learn?"

"Ah, most little boys get obsessed with doing that," Barnabas said dismissively, "They'll both get over it."

"I don't want to get in trouble," Aerith said uneasily, "I don't get why Stevie does it."

"Some kids don't learn their lessons, even when they get punished," said Sephiroth. "Genesis is one of those kids."

Aerith nodded as she reached for her glass of milk. However, she accidentally tipped it, spilling the milk. While there wasn't much left in the cup anyway, and the mess was small, Aerith froze in abject terror.

"Whoops," Barnabas said briskly as he reached for several napkins.

"Aerith, honey, it's okay," Ifalna said, worried that Aerith was still petrified of making mistakes.

"Yeah, kiddo, it's no big deal," Barnabas said as he reached over to tousle the girl's hair playfully.

Aerith gasped and twisted away, her hands flying up to protect herself.

Ifalna's heart sank as she pulled her daughter into her lap. "Sweetie, nobody's going to hurt you just because you knocked over a glass of milk that was almost empty anyway!" she said reassuringly.

Aerith was now shaking, not listening to anyone.

"Do you want me to call my aunt?" Barnabas asked, referring to Dr. Triton: the local physician who had helped Ifalna, Aerith and Sephiroth after their escape from Midgar. The kindly woman had given them passage in her van, paid for their tickets on the boat crossing the ocean, and hired Ifalna as a nurse/assistant, due to the woman's mysterious healing abilities.

"No, I know how to handle this…" Ifalna said miserably. "She doesn't act this way when it's just me and her, but…I didn't expect her to react this way with you, considering…" She gently stroked her trembling daughter's hair. "You don't have to be scared, little one. Remember, Barnabas is going to be your new daddy in a few days. You know he loves you and won't hurt you…"

"Dragon Lady mentioned something similar happened a few months ago when she bumped into one of the orderlies at the hospital," Barnabas said. Despite using his flippant nickname for his aunt, his tone was serious.

"Kids are clumsy," said Sephiroth, "Even I used to knock things over and bump into people when I was small. People in the Shinra building have no souls. They're temperamental bullies who take their frustrations out on anything weaker than them. As such, they would hit me…though I learned to fight back when I was about four…most of them, anyway."

He recalled how he was only able to attack Hojo once…and after that, he had been in isolation for a week, on a 1000-calorie-a-day diet. It was actually _because_ his father had hurt Aerith that his fear of the man had completely gone out of the window during that attack.

"Aerith…" Barnabas knelt down in front of the child. "Look at me…"

Slowly, Aerith turned her head slightly, only one eye meeting his.

"Accidents happen," Barnabas said gently, "I knock things over too, sometimes. Sometimes, I bump into people. But really, all you have to do is say you're sorry, and most people won't make a big deal out of it. I'm sorry people thought it was okay to hit you and Sephiroth for things you didn't mean to do. But you know what? I plan to be a good daddy to you…and good daddies don't hit their kids…just like good mommies don't."

Ifalna took the opportunity to cast a mild healing spell on Aerith, causing her to stop shaking.

"I'm gonna make sure no one ever hurts you or your mom again, alright?" Barnabas promised.

Aerith abruptly let go of her mother and lunged at Barnabas, throwing her arms around the strong man.

"You're gonna grow up in the best place a kid like you can live," Barnabas said as he patted the little girl's head, "No one's gonna take you away from here, understand?"

Aerith nodded, biting her thumbnail, as the little girl often did when she was nervous.

"Hey," Sephiroth said, poking Aerith's shoulder, "Why don't we go get some fresh air? I still haven't seen Nanaki yet."

Aerith let go of Barnabas and slid off of his lap, grabbing Sephiroth's hand. She immediately ran for the door, dragging Sephiroth along.

Barnabas glanced at his bride-to-be, who was glancing out the window, watching Aerith and Sephiroth walking toward the main part of town together. He noticed the worried look on her face. Just then, Ifalna glanced back at him, and managed a small smile.

"I just remind myself that it could have been worse," she told him, "Every time I couldn't be with her, I worried so much. Especially when…" She trailed off, shaking her head.

"Hey…" Barnabas took her hand in his. "You're gonna be my wife pretty soon. I've still got a lot to learn about you, though, and I want to know the bad as well as the good."

"Aerith is growing like a weed," Ifalna remarked, "I'm going to have to get hew a new swimsuit soon. The other one barely fits her…"

Cosmo Canyon had no bodies of water surrounding it. There weren't even any pools, but the local children often kept cool by running through sprinklers, spraying themselves and each other with hoses, and sliding on rubber wet-slides. Aerith had taken to playing with the other kids quickly, and on days when the temperature outside equaled that of the human body, she simply wore her red one-piece swimsuit for the day, soaking herself with her friends at the nearby hydrant.

"Because of Hojo…" Ifalna sighed, "I doubt Aerith will ever be interested in wearing a two-piece suit when she gets older."

"What do you mean?" Barnabas asked, his voice tense. Ifalna had told him enough stories about Professor Hojo for him to get slightly uptight whenever his name was mentioned.

"Aerith absolutely refuses to talk about it," Ifalna said, leaning on the table, her fingers pressed against her forehead. "And the worst part is…it was done to spite me. It was all my fault, Barnabas…"

"If that Hojo guy is involved, it's not your fault," Barnabas insisted, "He's done some fucked-up things, and those are the decisions _he_ makes."

"He took Aerith from me for three days when she was only three years old," Ifalna said, tearing up, "He deliberately burned her hand with a hot iron, to see how well she could heal herself. She cast a healing spell right away, no materia…but my god…hearing her scream like that…"  
She sniffed and wiped her eyes, while Barnabas moved his chair closer and immediately wrapped his arms around his fiancée.

"They had me behind a two-way mirror, where I could see Aerith, but she couldn't see me. The room was soundproofed so she couldn't hear me, but they had speakers so that I could hear everything. Then he burned her a second time, just below the ribs. I made the power go out, and a Turk who was in the room with me pistol-whipped me…hard enough to knock me out for two days. When they finally brought her back to me…I found out that Hojo had forbidden her to use her healing abilities. He told me he wanted to see how fast she could heal naturally compared to a human…or myself. He had threatened to hurt _me_ if she disobeyed. I did what I could for the burn afterward, but too much time had passed for me to be able to heal it completely. She'll always have that scar to remind her."

"How is that your fault?" Barnabas wanted to know.

"Because I told Hojo that he would never be the genius that Faremis was, and I did so in great detail!" Ifalna wept, "And he got me where it hurt the most…! After that, I never spoke to him again unless I was asked a question."

"If Avalanche ever got big enough to storm Shinra Headquarters…" Barnabas growled, "I'd kill that man with my bare hands!"

"If you kill him, then you're no better than he is," Ifalna admonished him through her tears.

Barnabas regarded her incredulously. The man had imprisoned her, killed her husband and imprisoned her again along with her child, drugged her, restrained her, slapped her on occasion, abused his own son, and now he knew that the man had hurt Aerith enough to leave a physical scar(in addition to the mental ones). Yet, Ifalna didn't want him dead?

"I could only condone killing him if he were coming at you with a weapon and poised to kill you first," Ifalna said, calming down slightly, "but I can't bear the idea of killing out of rage or revenge. Even after all the things he did…and besides! You kill him, the rest of Shinra gets angry that they lost their science department head, they strike back, and the game of death just goes on and on…"

"That just leaves life in prison," said Barnabas.

"And that's plenty of time to reflect on his crimes," said Ifalna, "The man's pushing forty. Humans live an average of eighty years. It's a just punishment."

"How long do Cetra live?" Barnabas asked.

Ifalna shook her head. "No test ever determined for certain," she said, "But…the few fossils brought back…suggest an average of 110 years."

Her fiancé saw the look of fear in her eyes, and what she was clearly thinking: _I'm going to be alone again one day…_

"Bugenhagen is well over a hundred," Barnabas declared cheerfully, "When I first arrived here almost twenty years ago, he was still really old. I asked him what his secret was. Part of it was his diet…part was sheer will…the other part was just living here."

"I do hear the planet very clearly over here," said Ifalna, "I think if- and I hope this never happens- there's an earthquake, we'd wind up with a mako pool around here. The only problem for the Shinra is that even though there's an abundance of Lifestream here, they'd have to get under the mountain. Thankfully, the world is big enough for them not to focus on this place."

"People live long lives here," Barnabas reassured her, "And…I'm an ambitious guy. One of my goals is to live at least as long as Bugenhagen does. Guess that means you're stuck with me."

Ifalna leaned against her fiancé's chest. "Oh well," she said, smiling.

* * *

"You've been smiling all day," Sephiroth remarked the next afternoon as he and Aerith walked hand-in-hand throughout the walkway tunnel system that ran through the canyon. Both were dressed in swim-suits and water shoes.

Aerith's grin only grew wider. "Uh-huh! I get to put on fancy clothes and be in a wedding. And then when it's over, I'll get to have a mommy and a daddy like most of the kids at school."

"Have you told your classmates how excited you are?" Sephiroth asked.

"Well…some of my friends. Auryn, and Rae. And Elfé knows too. She walks with me to school since she and Master Terrato live nearby. But not everyone at school has two parents…so I don't talk too much about it…in case it makes them feel bad."

"That's very kind of you," Sephiroth remarked appreciatively.

"Does it make you feel bad?" Aerith asked, suddenly remembering that Sephiroth had no parents to take care of him.

"No," Sephiroth reassured her, "Don't worry about that. I'm happy that you're happy."

"You're sure?"

Sephiroth chuckled. "Yes, Aerith. I'm not jealous or sad. I've accepted the fact that I'll never have a normal family. My mother died when I was a baby, probably because the lab made her sick. And my father…" He chuckled again. "Why am I even bringing this up?"

Aerith frowned. "_Do_ you have a father?"

Sephiroth sighed. He might as well tell Aerith, since her mother already knew.

"You remember Professor Hojo?"

Aerith's expression soured as she nodded.

"He's technically my father," Sephiroth admitted, "Though he never actually told me. You see…I overheard him and the president talking about me…that's when I found out…a couple days before I got us out of Midgar."

"But he was so mean to you!" Aerith exclaimed. She then looked away. "…And me too. He locked Mama away in the bad room until you saved us. And…he hurt me too…"

"Yes," Sephiroth acknowledged, "You see…just because someone is your parent, it doesn't mean they're going to automatically love you, or take good care of you. My…father…if you can really call him that…well, I hate him. I hate that he convinced my mother to let him do so much damage to her. It's probably why she died. But…" He then looked at Aerith and squeezed her hand gently. "…that's why I'm happy for you. Barnabas is a good man…and an excellent fighter. I feel better knowing that he and Avalanche will keep you and your mother safe. I also feel better knowing that he's teaching you how to grapple. If any Turk tries to take you back to Midgar, you'll know what to do."

The two of them exited the walkway, walking toward a set of sprinklers turned on at full-blast. A dozen other children were already running around, soaked to the skin as their excited shrieks bounced off the walls of the canyon.

"Guess what?" Aerith said, her cheerful mood returning.

"What?"

"They both told me a few days ago…" Aerith could barely keep still as she spoke. "…that we're going to be a _big_ family. They said they were going to give me brothers and sisters."

"Really?" Sephiroth commented, "So how do you feel about that?"

"I'm excited!" Aerith exclaimed, "Uncle Barnabas took us to his house and showed me the room that I'll be sleeping in. And whenever Mama does have a baby, there'll be a bedroom waiting for it."

"I'm sure you'll be a wonderful big sister," Sephiroth said to her.

"You know, Seph…" Aerith said matter-of-factly, "You can still _have_ a family. You could _make_ one when you grow up. You can get married and have kids."

Sephiroth laughed nervously. "That's a long time from now, Aerith. I don't even know any girls in Mideel yet."

"_I'll_ marry you, then," Aerith offered as she began spinning around idly.

Sephiroth's eyes widened. "I…beg your pardon…?"

"Well not _now_!" Aerith giggled, "You just said it would be a long time from now. If you don't meet anyone else, I'll marry you when we both grow up."

And just like that, she ran off toward the sprinklers with the other children.

* * *

"I'm home!" Aerith called out as she walked into the apartment two hours later.

Ifalna walked into the living room and smiled. "Did you have fun playing in the sprinklers?"

"Yup!" Aerith answered cheerfully as she ran her fingers through her damp hair. "Seph walked me back, but he's going to look at bracers at the Tiger Lily shop."

"Here," Ifalna handed her a towel.

"Thanks," Aerith said as she began rubbing it against her head vigorously.

"Easy now," her mother chuckled, "Your hair will get all tangled if you dry it like that."

"'Kay."

"What's this?" Ifalna asked as she examined Aerith's knee. There was a small scrape on it.

"It's fine," Aerith said dismissively, "It didn't even really hurt when I fell." She then smiled proudly. "I got right back up and kept playing!"

"Well, that's good, but you should heal it before it gets infected," Ifalna told her, "Here, I'll do it…"

"No!" Aerith exclaimed as she backed away, "I'm fine- you can just put a bandage on it."

"Aerith, why don't you want me to heal you?" her mother asked, puzzled.

The little girl looked away. "I wanna be normal."

Ifalna scowled. "Normal?"

"If we'd been normal, we wouldn't have lived in the labs," Aerith reasoned, "They wouldn't have given us tests, and they wouldn't have hit us. It's best to be normal, and what we can do with cuts and bruises isn't normal."

"We also wouldn't have met Sephiroth," Ifalna pointed out, "Would you rather that never happened either?"

Aerith's eyes widened in alarm, and she quickly shook her head no.

"If I'd been normal, I could never have helped make Elfé better when she was sick," Ifalna also reminded her, "But now she walks with you to school because she's okay now."

"That's true…" Aerith pondered, putting her index finger to her pursed lips.

"I know people sometimes think it's okay to come after us and hurt us, just because we're special," her mother said, taking Aerith's hand in hers, "but that's no reason to not like being special. Besides, we're in a safe place now. Tell me: have you _ever_ seen a Turk or a soldier around here, the entire time we've been in Cosmo Canyon.

Again, Aerith shook her head.

"Like I told you yesterday," Ifalna said patiently, "We're going to be all right. Now…can I heal that scrape?"

"Can I try instead?" Aerith asked.

Ifalna smiled. "Of course! You remember how, right?"

"Uh-huh!" Aerith's head bobbed up and down, "Think of the Lifestream, and move my hand like this…"

The little girl's hand began to glow as she concentrated on the scrape, envisioning the flesh knitting together. As she waved her hand about one inch over her knee, the tiny scratches began to close up, leaving nothing but smooth skin.

"Great job!" Ifalna praised her. She immediately hugged her daughter. "You healed yourself perfectly!"

"But…" Aerith hesitated, "Is it okay for everyone here to know what we can do?"

"Yes," Ifalna told her, "Nobody who travels outside of here ever talks about the Firecats. They won't talk about us either. Barnabas and Terrato promised me."

"Will we ever have to leave here?" Aerith asked nervously.

"I don't see why we have to at this point," Ifalna answered, "But we never know where life will take us. Right now, though, life has taken us here, so don't worry so much, okay?"

That seemed sufficient enough for Aerith. "Okay!" she answered brightly, "I'm gonna go color, okay?"

"All right, but change out of your swimsuit first," Ifalna called after her as she ran off.

"'Kay!"

* * *

"As I've said, all I have are a few psychology electives," Dr. Triton explained the next day as the two women walked around the hospital together. "But I guess we're dealing with a bit of backlash on Aerith's part."

"But she's been fine before these past few days," Ifalna insisted, "If anything, she seemed to be the most well-adjusted between her, myself, and Sephiroth."

"Aerith grew up never knowing the difference between freedom and captivity," Dr. Triton said as they entered the lounge and sat down at a table. "Now, she understands the difference. She goes out and plays in the sun, she has friends, she goes to school, and she can eat candy and go inside and outside, so long as she has your permission. Before, you had very little say in her life." She then chuckled. "It's a wonder she actually listens to you. Plenty of other children wouldn't have, had they been in her situation."

"Don't jinx it…" Ifalna groaned.

"I wouldn't worry about that," the doctor reassured her, "But now you're getting married. You told me how excited Aerith was about having a father for the first time she could remember. But now…I think she's getting scared. She might be worried that something will happen to take away all these wonderful things. I think the passage of time might be the cure for that anxiety. But for now…just be patient. When she sees that there's no perceivable threat to her new life, I'm sure she'll calm down."

Ifalna nodded. What the good doctor said made complete sense.

"In the meantime, you've got a wedding to think about," the older woman reminded her, "And then, married life to look forward to."

Ifalna smiled at the thought.

"Ah, young love," Dr. Triton teased, "Both of you smile like that when I mention the upcoming happy date."

Now the young mother's cheeks were turning pink.

The doctor glanced around the empty room. "Good thing I offered to look after Aerith for the weekend while you two get…accustomed to married life."

She had expected Ifalna to turn redder, but to her shock, her assistant went completely white.

"What's wrong?" Dr. Triton asked, expecting to glance down and find blood pooled at the younger woman's feet.

"I…nothing…" Ifalna said feebly.

Dr. Triton's razor-sharp mind was at work again, and she soon realized what was going on.

"You never told him about that Shinra intern who attacked you," she realized.

Ifalna hung her head, ashamed. "I think as the wedding gets closer, he's assumed I simply want to wait until the wedding night," she said, "But…I don't know how I'll react…Harriet- I do _not_ want to electrocute my husband during the first night we're married…"

"I've heard of 'vagina dentata'…" Dr. Triton mused, "'Vagina fulgetra' is a new one…"

"The 'lightning' doesn't come from down there," Ifalna stated irritably.

"Sorry, sorry," the doctor apologized, "Just trying to inject a bit of humor, but that was probably in poor taste."

Ifalna sighed, looking gloomy.

"So he doesn't know," Dr. Triton stated.

"…No."

"Ifalna- you're marrying that man in two days," the older woman told her, "You need to tell him what happened! Trust me- he'll understand. Yes, he might rant about wanting to kill the man responsible, but-,"

"I think that man is already dead," Ifalna butted in. "I heard a gunshot and felt the man's life-force cease to be. The Shinra don't tolerate that kind of breech."

"Tell him," Dr. Triton urged her, "What are you afraid of?"

"I already feel as though this is all too good to be true," Ifalna confessed, "I find freedom again, and only a month later, I start having feelings for someone. Now we're getting married after just one year, and…" she trailed off, a sad smile appearing on her face. "Good Gaia, I'm just like Aerith…worrying it'll all disappear."

"Like mother, like daughter," the doctor kidded.

"I always worried that getting my memories back would ruin everything," Ifalna admitted, "But this scares me pretty badly as well. Barnabas is…well, he's exactly what I've needed, and the fact that he adores Aerith as well…"

"That's for sure," Dr. Triton laughed.

"Not many men out there would agree to raise another man's child," Ifalna admitted.

"I think that applies more for divorced parents," said Dr. Triton, "not widowed ones. Plus, I know Barnabas will eventually be raising at least one of his own kids along with Aerith…who is quite excited that you and Barnabas both told her she'll be getting younger siblings eventually."

Ifalna turned red. "She told you-?! We didn't tell her that so she could announce it to the world!" she groaned.

"Children have no filters," the doctor chuckled, "You wouldn't believe some of the things that those little ones tell me when I give them their check-ups."

"At least it means she's more social," Ifalna reasoned, "Until we settled here, you could count the people she would speak to on one hand."

"Yes, if I recall correctly, it wasn't until we were on the boat that she stopped hiding behind you or Sephiroth whenever I spoke to her," Dr. Triton said amusedly.

Ifalna smiled warmly. "Yes, well, she loves you now."

"And I, her. It will be lovely to have her for a great-niece…but I'm a greedy woman, and I want more great-nieces and nephews. So please…for everyone's sake: talk to Barnabas. Tell him what happened. He'll understand it wasn't your fault. He won't see you as damaged goods, if that's also what you're worried about."

Ifalna nodded. "I will. Tonight."

* * *

A/N: This is a two-parter. Chapter 2 will be up shortly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"This is some sword…" Barnabas said appreciatively as he lifted Masamune up, letting it gleam in the light of the afternoon sun.

He and Sephiroth had spent a couple of hours together working on the extra bedroom that Barnabas was adding onto his two-bedroom cottage, which Aerith and Ifalna would be moving into after the wedding. For now, the two were enjoying a soda break.

Ifalna had dropped Aerith off at a town-wide festival, celebrating the founding of Cosmo Canyon.

"Aerith says you plan to give her some brothers and sisters," said Sephiroth.

Barnabas burst out laughing nervously. "I didn't think she'd repeat that," he said.

"Why wouldn't she?" Sephiroth asked, "She's six, and she's excited. Kids talk a lot…especially Aerith, once you get to know her well enough."

"True…" Barnabas acknowledged. He chuckled. "It did take her a couple weeks to start talking to me, didn't it?"

"Most men she grew up around were either soldiers or scientists," Sephiroth reminded him. "I hate to say it, but you're built like a soldier. Aside from one man, most of them were the ones who would try to rough us up."

Barnabas shook his head in disgust as he watched the little girl playing hopscotch in the distance. "For anyone to hurt that little girl or her mother…that's like spitting in the face of goodness itself."

Sephiroth winced. He had never actually apologized to Ifalna for the incident over at Heimar Port, when he had begun to experience a nervous breakdown. When Ifalna had tried to warn him of the danger his soul was in, he had responded by slapping her, knocking her down completely. Had she not received forced mako enhancements prior to their escape, he wasn't sure how much damage such a blow would have caused. He suspected he might have even killed her.

Yet, she had comforted _him_ that evening, not even stopping to heal her own injury before letting him be(and only at his own request that he be left alone). She had been the first person to show him what love entailed. No one had ever put their own discomfort aside because they so valued his well-being…except Ifalna. Aerith soon followed as she grew and learned to speak. He recalled when she was a toddler, and he would visit with them in the common room. As soon as she spotted him, the chubby-cheeked two-year-old would run(in that waddling way that small children often did) over to him shouting "Hug, Seph! Hug!" repeatedly until he would pick her up and give her a squeeze.

Toward the end of his time living with Ifalna and Aerith in Cosmo Canyon, he had awoken from a nightmare to find Aerith snuggled against him. She had opened one eye, and reached up to pat him on the head reassuringly, whispering, "Don't worry, Seph. I'll protect you from the bad dreams."

"You okay, Seph?" Barnabas asked, having noticed that Sephiroth was now staring off into space.

"I seem to have developed a bad habit of getting lost in thought," the boy admitted, "It's interesting, though. I barely ever had time to lose myself like that before. My schedule was so busy, so packed that to drift off could result in myself or other people getting injured…maybe even killed."

"That's way too much to put on a kid your age," Barnabas said, shaking his head regretfully, "When I was twelve, I used to live near one of Midgar's exits. There was a hole that my friends and I could squeeze through. We'd go explore the wastelands. Of course, there were a lot less monsters around back then."

He drank the last of his soda, crushing the can before tossing it in the small bin on the porch. Sephiroth looked at his own empty can, before crushing it and dropping it in the bin as well.

Barnabas stood up. "Ready to go back?"

Sephiroth nodded as he followed him back inside the house, and into the halfway-constructed bedroom. He thought about what Barnabas had just said. Both of them knew that the rise of mako use correlated directly with the appearance of more monsters.

"For whatever reason, the Lifestream imbalance is what's making the monster population grow," said Sephiroth, "Hojo mentioned in one of his self-aggrandizing lectures once, that the science department had discovered that the fertility of monsters has been on the rise over the last twenty years…based on the monsters they captured and studied."

_…Which I set free, allowing them to kill every unarmed person in their path…_Sephiroth thought guiltily.

"Let me guess…" Barnabas said as stooped to the ground and grabbed a hammer, "They deny any connection between mako power and that little fact you just told me, right? Hand me four nails, would you?"

"Correct," Sephiroth said as he picked up four long nails and handed them to the older man.

"Thanks." Barnabas put three of the nails between his lips, while he grabbed a plank and lined it up over a wooden beam. Satisfied, he set up the fourth nail and began hammering away.

Sephiroth took a plank as well and laid it down nearby, looking at Barnabas for approval. The handyman/fighter nodded encouragingly, and the young swordsman grabbed a hammer and nails, and was able to pound the nail into place after hitting it just once.

Barnabas stared in amazement. "You know, I can imagine a kid like you making a lot of older guys feel inadequate."

"It's an issue that my advisors and I have had to address," Sephiroth acknowledged, "Some of my fellow initiates do get jealous. One was disciplined for trying to start an argument with me because I finished mopping my half of the dining hall faster than he did."

"How do you feel about all that?" Barnabas asked.

"I'm used to it," Sephiroth said, shrugging indifferently, "They're the irrational ones."

"Glad you don't let it get to you, then."

"Do you think this will be done in time for a new baby?" Sephiroth asked suddenly, remembering something Ifalna had said to him once. "Ifalna told me that Aerith was born full-term after only six months."

Barnabas stopped hammering as his mouth dropped open in shock, the nails clattering to the ground. "You're joking…right?" he asked uncertainly.

Sephiroth scowled.

"Right…" Barnabas said, realizing that B.S.-ing wasn't part of Sephiroth's limited sense of humor. "A joke like that would be a first from you."

"You didn't know?" Sephiroth asked as he quickly finished hammering all of the nails He reached for the pile of wood and grabbed another plank.

"Nope," said Barnabas, "Me and her have been talking about a _lot_ of stuff, though. I'm sure it'll come up soon…still…" He looked wary. "Doesn't leave much time…"

"You're that set on starting right away?" Sephiroth blurted out, before making a slightly disturbed face and shaking his head. "Never mind, don't answer that question- I don't want to know."

Barnabas chuckled as he picked up another nail, lining it up correctly before he began to hammer.

* * *

"Hello," Sephiroth greeted Ifalna later that day as she came out of the grocery store with a couple bags of food, "Here, I'll take one of those."

"Thank you," said Ifalna as she handed him one of the bags. They began walking back through the tunnels. "How's the room coming along?"

"I accidently let it slip that if you and he were to have kids, you'd only be pregnant for two-thirds of the time it takes other women," Sephiroth confessed, "The look on his face was…interesting."

"Oh…" Ifalna suddenly looked uncomfortable, "I can't believe I forgot that important detail…I hope he wasn't upset."

"No, just surprised," Sephiroth answered, "Aerith's still at the festival?"

Ifalna nodded. "I asked one of the other mothers there to keep an eye on her while I squeezed in a little grocery shopping."

Sephiroth nodded, and the two continued to walk silently until they emerged from the tunnel…right in front of the apartment complex that had been carved into the other side of the canyon decades ago. Stepping inside, they made their way down the short hallway, stopping at the door to the two-bedroom apartment that Ifalna and Aerith called home, while Ifalna dug out her key and opened the door.

Sephiroth switched on the light and they walked over to the kitchen counter, setting the bags of food on top and putting everything in its rightful place. He pulled out one last item and smiled. "Pot roast."

"Your favorite," Ifalna said, returning his smile, "I was thinking that could be tomorrow's supper."

"Sometimes, I wonder what I did to deserve people like you and Aerith in my life," Sephiroth sighed.

Ifalna merely chuckled.

"I mean it," Sephiroth said solemnly, "I'm really fortunate to have met the both of you."

"Come on, Seph," Ifalna chided him playfully, trying to keep the mood light-hearted. "Everyone deserves a chance to be loved."

"Even when I hurt the people I care about?" Sephiroth asked.

Ifalna stopped walking and looked at him. "What are you talking about?" she asked, not understanding.

"I had to maim Wolff so that we could get away, and it would look like he gave it everything he could to keep us from doing so," Sephiroth confessed, "I was trying to save his life, but…I hurt him in a way that I don't know if he survived. Once it happened, I panicked and I ran off…not before I said I was sorry, though. But…how does 'sorry' solve anything when you severed someone's leg?"

Ifalna simply stared at the boy with a sorrowful expression.

"He was my role-model, teaching me how to keep my head like a soldier should," Sephiroth went on, looking distressed, "But when it really counted…I lost my head, and I honestly don't know whether or not he's alive."

"I would have felt his spirit pass if he'd bled out like that," Ifalna reassured him, "Even by the time we were at the port."

The port…where things had only gotten worse.

"And then, I hurt you that night…" Sephiroth whispered, his voice pained.

"No you didn't," Ifalna reassured him as she put her hand on his shoulder. Was it her imagination, or had he grown taller since he left for the temple?

"Yes I did…" the boy insisted, "When you warned me I could end up turning into my father, I thought you were seriously comparing us, and I _wanted_ to hurt you for that split-second, and that's all it took. We never talked about it-,"

"-Because there was _nothing_ to talk about," said Ifalna, "You made a mistake. I still love you, and so does Aerith. If I ever have a son…I'll have some idea of how to raise him thanks to you."

Sephiroth cringed. "Still…I want you to hit me back."

Ifalna did a double-take. "What?"

"Please…" Sephiroth implored her, "I'll feel better if you just do to me what I did to you."

"I'm _not_ going to slap you," said Ifalna.

"Good! I deserve more than a slap. You can punch me if you want."

Ifalna shook her head in amazement. "You're serious, aren't you?"

Sephiroth closed his eyes in anticipation. "Go on. I deserve it."

He stood there, ready to take whatever punishment Ifalna dished out. However, to his shock, he felt no fist, but instead, a pair of lips pressing against his check, giving him a quick peck. When he opened his eyes, Ifalna was in the same place she had been standing.

"Now, we're even," she said, smiling, "And I don't want to hear anymore about it. Violence solves nothing, unless it's self-defense. I've got no reason to defend myself from you."

Sephiroth couldn't help but chuckle.

"That's better," Ifalna said encouragingly, "I have to go discuss something with Barnabas, but I'll see you later tonight."

"Should I go fetch Aerith from the block party?" Sephiroth asked.

"Oh, I think she can play for another hour before you go get her," Ifalna said, "Thank you, Seph."

Sephiroth watched the woman walk over to the door, and touched his cheek. _No,_ he thought, _thank _you…

* * *

Barnabas sat on his sofa, staring at the wall, his hands gripping his knees tightly. His normally warm brown eyes were narrowed into slits, and his jaw was clenched.

Ifalna sat next to him, wiping her eyes, and unable to look at her husband-to-be. However, she reached up and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Damn the Shinra…" he hissed furiously, "Damn them all to hell…!"

"I've never seen you this angry before…" Ifalna said nervously, "Barnabas…you're scaring me…"

That seemed to snap him out of his livid trance. He looked at his fiancée, and slumped back in his seat, heaving a loud sigh.

"I never was the kind of guy to stand for being helpless…" he confessed, "But that's exactly how I feel. I can't go back in time and stop it from happening. You said they killed him after they discovered what was happening…what the hell can I do now?"

"Nothing," Ifalna pointed out. "And it's terrible, but there's nothing that can be done."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Barnabas asked.

"I just didn't know how to…" she answered, "But as each day passed and the wedding date approached, I started getting really nervous. Not jitters like people go through, but actual fear. Then last night, I had a nightmare about it…the first time since I escaped, honestly. Then, I talked it over with your aunt."

"I thought you were just old-fashioned," Barnabas chuckled ruefully, "Or super-romantic."

"I _am_ romantic!" Ifalna protested indignantly.

Barnabas laughed and pulled her close to him. "Hey…I'm glad you told me. I'm not glad that it happened…far from it. But now that I know…I'll be careful. I'll try not to get too carried away on our wedding night."

Ifalna raised an eyebrow. "I'm not made of glass, Barnabas. Anyway…now that I've got this burden off of my chest…"

She then put her arms around Barnabas' shoulders, and looked at him dead in the eye.

God, what the hell had she been afraid of? Even the planet seemed to agree, humming happily and offering its wordless reassurance.

"I had no reason to be scared, did I?" she realized out loud, "Why would I agree to marry someone that I was actually scared of?"

"Good question," Barnabas said with a smirk, his good humor slowly returning.

"When people experience terrible things…" Ifalna continued, "You read about them having reactions to similar situations. When I first came here, and was being checked out along with the children by your aunt, I had to come back for additional tests…but another doctor was there."

"Dr. Pallidor?"

Ifalna nodded. "He grabbed my wrist, probably to check my pulse, and I electrocuted him before running out."

"I promise not to even _touch_ your wrist," Barnabas assured her.

"No, it's not..." Ifalna trailed off before speaking again: "It was the setting…the fact that he wore a lab coat."

"Did the reaction happen outta nowhere?" Barnabas asked.

"No," Ifalna admitted, "I was nervous the minute he said he'd be the one to check me out. I was the one who forced myself to go ahead with it."

"Maybe next time, you shouldn't force yourself to do something that makes you nervous," Barnabas offered.

"I know...your aunt said the same thing."

"Has anything about me made you nervous?" Barnabas asked.

"No," Ifalna answered right away, "But...sometimes, I'd be about to fall asleep at night, and I'd think about..."

She then turned her head away, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

"Me?" Barnabas chuckled, "Is my bride-to-be having naughty thoughts late at night?"

"Oh, shut up!" Ifalna sputtered self-consciously.

"What? It's cute!" Barnabas insisted.

"Cute until that intern's face would pop into my mind," Ifalna sighed.

"Is his face popping into your mind right now?"

Ifalna shook her head no.

Barnabas then grinned. "You're not going to electrocute me, if that's what you're worried about."

Ifalna looked up at him. "How can you be sure? All sorts of issues have been coming to the surface lately. Sephiroth is the only one of us whose issues presented themselves right away. For me and Aerith…well, it's like we were all numb for a period, and now there's this backlash. Your aunt even suggested it was because we were both starting to become afraid that our new lives could vanish at any time."

Barnabas chuckled. "First off, Dragon Lady is an armchair shrink at best, so don't read too deeply into her theories. Second…you _can't_ electrocute me. Not while I wear my daddy's old armlet."

He pointed at the bronze accessory that he always wore on his left arm, and tapped on the lightning bolt embossed on the center.

"I wear this to remember my old man by," Barnabas explained, "I told you how he was killed by a Midgar Zolom when I was just a little kid."

Ifalna nodded. She knew that Barnabas' mother had died giving birth to him, and his father, a mythril miner, had been killed by the aforementioned giant snake, after having fallen off of his chocobo while trying to outrun it. Barnabas had been raised since then by Dr. Triton, who was only a teenager at the time he had come to live with her. The sibling-like love/hate relationship the two of them shared belied the fact that his aunt had been the only mother figure he had known, much like Ifalna had been to Sephiroth.

"Well, this is a Bolt armlet," he continued, "It absorbs electricity. It helped me a lot during my days as an electrician's apprentice, back when I used to screw up a lot."

Ifalna laughed ruefully. "You need an accessory to protect yourself from your own future wife…like I were some kind of monster."

"Hey," Barnabas said sharply, "I don't like that kinda talk. You're not a monster…that guy who made you scared to be touched by a male doctor…_he _was the monster."

"Still…"

"Still, nothing," Barnabas said, "Something tells me we're both gonna be just fine. Besides…nothing happens whenever I do this…"

He leaned, wrapping his arms around her, and the two began to kiss. After about a minute, he leaned back and smiled.

"And we've done _that_ plenty of times." he quipped.

"We have…" Ifalna agreed. She laughed softly, shaking her head. Then she looked him in the eye once more, before they kissed again. After a few minutes, Ifalna shifted over, hiking her skirt before sitting right on Barnabas' lap, straddling him.

Barnabas smirked. "You're just a little tiger, ain't ya?"

"Oh, just shut up and go with it," Ifalna giggled before leaning in for yet another kiss.

_Yes ma'am…_Barnabas thought gleefully.

When they finally pulled away, Ifalna sighed.

"I don't know why I was so nervous…" she admitted, "It's more than night and day…you…and that intern…"

Barnabas regarded his bride-to-be curiously.

"Does that mean you _don't_ wanna wait until the wedding night?" he asked, smirking again.

"Well…we might as well…" Ifalna reasoned, "…given that it's two days away. But…" She grinned in an uncharacteristically wicked manner. "…maybe tonight, I'll give you a preview…"

Barnabas' eyes widened as Ifalna's hand reached down, planting itself firmly on uncharted territory.

"Well, if you insist…" he managed to say.

"Six years is a long time…" Ifalna reminded Barnabas before allowing herself to be lost in another kiss.

Yes…six years.

Not four.

Six.

* * *

"Friends of Cosmo Canyon…" Bugenhagen spoke, his voice booming over a speaker system attached to a nearby microphone, "…we are gathered here today to witness the joyous union of two individuals. Today, our favorite handyman Barnabas Duran, and our most recent addition to our community, Ifalna Gast; join together in holy, happy matrimony!"

The enormous crowd of citizens that made up Cosmo Canyon stood below, waiting in anticipation as Bugenhagen stood on a plateau, in front of Ifalna and Barnabas. Ifalna wore a long red robe with billowing sleeves that were lined with white triangles, while her soon-to-be husband was dressed in dark reddish-brown robes that matched the terrain surrounding them. Their hands were joined together as they listened to the chief elder's brief sermon; palms sweating in a mix of excitement and anticipation.

Aerith stood next to her mother, as the Primary Witness. She wiped her sweaty forehead, quietly waiting for the ceremony to be over and done with so that she could remove the heavy traditional white robes she wore and go play with the other children at the after-party.

Sephiroth, holding the title of Secondary Witness, also wiped his forehead, dressed in similar attire. He briefly wondered what idiot had come up with the idea to wear such heavy clothing in weather as unforgiving as Cosmo Canyon's. He was thankful at least, that a tarp covered him and the other wedding participants, keeping them in the shade.

Aerith then glanced at the enormous cake down below, kept safe from insects and the elements by a large protective plastic cover. Just then, her stomach growled, which was picked up by the microphone, causing everyone down below to laugh lightly.

"…And in the interest of not letting people starve to death, I will move this right along now," Bugenhagen said, not missing a beat, "Barnabas, do you take Ifalna to be your lifelong partner in the amazing gift of life, through thick and thin, until the Lifestream calls you home?"

"I do," Barnabas spoke into the microphone.

"And do you, Ifalna…?" Bugenhagen began reciting the same brief speech, before Aerith's stomach growled again, causing the little girl to turn bright red. He then paused. "Ho-ho-ho…I've lost my place…well, yes or no?"

"Yes!" Ifalna laughed.

"So they can hear you, my dear," Bugenhagen said, pointing at the microphone.

"Yes!" Ifalna said loudly as she leaned into the microphone, causing a painful squeal of feedback to emerge from the speakers.

"Good enough!" Bugenhagen declared, "I now pronounce you man and wife! Barnabas, you may kiss your bride, and for Holy's sake, feed that poor girl when you're done!"

The crowd erupted into laughter and applause as Barnabas quickly grabbed his new bride and kissed her, restraining himself from letting the kiss get too passionate in front of the crowd, and especially the children.

No matter…there was a reason why they had scheduled the wedding for late afternoon, combined with a short reception.

As he stepped back and looked into Ifalna's eyes, he could see that she was likely thinking the same thing…

* * *

"So you mean to tell us that you skipped lunch just because you wanted twice as much tofurkey and cake?" Ifalna asked as she and Aerith sat at their table, along with Barnabas, Sephiroth, Bugenhagen, and Dr. Triton.

"Yup!" Aerith declared before stuffing another biscuit into her mouth.

"Your stomach is going to fill up long before you can eat twice as much," Sephiroth pointed out, "You should probably stop now or else you won't have room for cake."

"My piece may be yellow, but the other half of the cake is chocolate…" Barnabas informed her.

Aerith's eyes widened, and she immediately swallowed the last of her food, bolting from her chair so she could collect a slice for herself.

"The band is starting up," Barnabas observed, "We'd best not disappoint."

"They'll be disappointed once they see what a clumsy dancer I am," Ifalna sighed as they both stood up, "Well, let's get this over with…"

Barnabas chuckled as she took his arm. Reluctantly, Ifalna allowed him to lead her to the wooden platform that had been put together to serve as the dance floor.

Aerith returned, already halfway finished with her slice of cake. "Where'd they go?" she asked.

"The bride and groom always lead off with the first dance of the evening," Dr. Triton said as she pointed ahead. She then looked at Aerith, who was inhaling her dessert. "That looks good…I suppose I'll get a slice…or two…"

"It's two flavors!" Aerith reminded her.

"That's why I was thinking two slices," the doctor laughed as she got up and left.

"Slow down, Aerith," Sephiroth told her, "It's not a race."

"But now we can dance too!" Aerith said as she put her fork down on the now-empty plate. She got up and grabbed Sephiroth's arm, tugging relentlessly at him until he grudgingly got to his feet.

"You don't even know how to dance," he protested as he allowed himself to be dragged over to the dance floor.

"But you do," Aerith reminded him.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes. It was true. From the age of six onward, he had learned everything from ballet to ballroom dancing(the former to improve his footwork to help with combat skills, and the latter for future missions that would likely require subterfuge).

"There we go," Aerith stood on Sephiroth's feet and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"That doesn't let me move around very much," Sephiroth remarked as he took Aerith's hand in his, while putting his other hand around her tiny waist. Aerith kept her other arm around his waist.

"Let's dance!" she said brightly.

"You're supposed to put your other hand on my shoulder."

"I can't _reach_ your shoulder, silly!"

"Fine. I guess you can lead."

"I can't lead! I'll keep stepping on your feet!"

"You're already stepping on my feet."

"'Cause I already know that's where they'll end up!"

Sephiroth sighed as he began a very limited waltz.

"Seph?"

"Hmm?"

"Is this 'happily ever after'? Like in the books you and Mama would always read to me in the labs?"

"Hmm…" Sephiroth frowned. "Happily ever after…that would mean everything's over…that everything's done. But it looks like everything's only beginning, right?"

Aerith scrunched her forehead, as she always did when she was thinking hard. Finally, she looked up at him. "You're right," she said, "Mama said when we move into the new house, we'll start bringing grass, flowers, and plants to Cosmo Canyon…even though it's hot here."

"That would be an amazing sight to see," said Sephiroth, "I'll look forward to seeing what kind of progress you make the next time I come back here."

Aerith frowned. "You're still here for two more days. Let's not talk about you leaving yet."

She then clung to him tighter.

"As you wish…" Sephiroth chuckled.

* * *

Five Weeks Later…

"I'm home!" Ifalna called out as she stepped inside the house, hanging her straw hat on the rack next to the front door.

"In here!" Barnabas called from the kitchen.

"Oh my…" Ifalna said as she walked in and saw Barnabas' legs sticking out from the cabinet underneath the sink, an open toolbox sitting next to him, with several tools scattered about.

"Just need to tighten this one little…there!" He then slid out and began putting his tools away. "How was your day?"

"Not quite as busy as yours, it seems," Ifalna said as she looked at the mess on the kitchen floor, "What happened?"

"Let's just say that we had some issues once you left this morning," Barnabas told her, looking less-than-thrilled. "I had to use all of the towels to clean up the mess, and then wash them if we wanted to have anything to dry ourselves off with when we all showered tonight."

"How long did you spend working on this?" Ifalna asked.

"Soon as I got home from fixing Mrs. Phelps' shower, I got to working on this," Barnabas told her, "I'm surprised I can still stand. I've been in that position for two hours straight, almost."

"Well, I suppose I should get started on dinner, then," said Ifalna.

"But it's my turn to cook," Barnabas reminded her.

"I know, but you even did laundry today on top of fixing the sink. You went above and beyond the call of duty, so it's the least I can do."

She kissed him on the cheek, and then went over to the refrigerator to find something to prepare.

"You seem to be in a rather good, and _generous_ mood," Barnabas observed.

"I _am_ in a good mood," Ifalna said as she pulled a few potatoes from the fridge and set them on the counter.

"Why's that?"

Ifalna walked over to Barnabas and took his hand, leading him out of the kitchen and into the living room. She sat down on the couch, and pulled him down next to her.

"Barnabas…" she said, smiling, "When I was pregnant with Aerith, I could tell from the first month that I was having a girl. Did I ever tell you that before?"

Her husband shook her head and smiled. "That sounds pretty convenient. I wonder if all Cetra can do that."

Just then, a look of understanding dawned on his face.

"Wait- first you tell me you're in a good mood, and you tell me about when you were pregnant with Aerith…you're not…?"

"It'll be a long time before we find out if all Cetra can tell," said Ifalna, "First we'll have to wait for Aerith...and then her little sister…"

She put her hand on her stomach and looked at Barnabas meaningfully.

The fighter's eyes widened. "So you _are_ pregnant! Wow, that was quick!"

"I was so worried that all the birth control Hojo put me on would destroy my ability to have children," Ifalna said, wringing her hands as her brow furrowed. "Everything he put me on was 'experimental'. But there were the usual clues…and this morning, the planet congratulated me as I meditated. I saw your aunt today to determine how far along I was. I'm five weeks pregnant, honey, and yes, it _was _quick. It had to have happened the very first night."

Barnabas broke into a wide grin as he drew his wife into his arms. "So this year I get _three_ lovely ladies coming to live with me?"

"Three lovely ladies…and a little man to follow in his daddy's footsteps." Ifalna said, smirking mischievously.

Barnabas then stepped back, regarding his wife incredulously. "Twins?!" he exclaimed.

Ifalna nodded. "I wondered for years what it would be like if I had a son…especially when I became close with Sephiroth."

Suddenly, Barnabas' grin died, replaced with a look of panic.

"Wait a sec…" he said nervously, "Uh…you and Seph told me before…Aerith was born after a six-month pregnancy…"

"We gestate faster than humans, yes," Ifalna said with a nod.

"I'm gonna be a father of two in only five months?!" Barnabas exclaimed, looking pale now.

Ifalna tilted her head at her husband, raising an eyebrow. "I told you everything you needed to know before you married me. We said we'd give Aerith brothers and sisters. And I'm pretty sure one thing I remember telling you is that multiples are more common with my people. Families were huge- all the fictional stories show that. All historical accounts. I can borrow some books from Bugenhagen and translate them for you if-,"

"Sorry…it's just really sudden…" Barnabas said as he slumped forward in his seat.

"Well, I can't exactly take them back to the 'baby store'…" Ifalna said, crossing her arms.

"I guess not," he said, and looked up at her. "Look, I'm not saying I'm upset about this- far from it. It's just so sudden is all…right away, and two kids for the price of one…"

"I'm surprised too," Ifalna said as she sat down in his lap and put her arms around him. "Despite what I already knew…I really was worried. I still _am_ a little worried. The planet warned me to take it easy. It knows I'm not as strong as I used to be. I'm starting to realize that my co-ordination is a bit off. It never used to be like that. Let's just say I won't be joining ANSMA anytime soon."

"The fact that you can create electricity with your hands..." Barnabas pointed out, "Well, you don't need to learn to grapple. Electricity is a much more powerful weapon…take it from a guy who was zapped more times than he'd like to count while working as an electrician's apprentice."

Ifalna nodded. Now that she was no longer being injected with "Casting Inhibitor" every day, her magical abilities were once again allowed to flourish. She had even jump-started a few cars using her special ability since she and Aerith had settled in Cosmo Canyon.

"We'll have to start on another bedroom sooner than I thought," Barnabas considered, "I only finished the third bedroom because Sephiroth was able to help me while he was here."

"I wouldn't worry too much," said Ifalna, "They can share a room for a few years. They might like that better, anyway, since they're already sharing a room right now, so to speak. They'll be used to it."

"There's really two little versions of me and you floating around in there?" Barnabas asked wondrously as he touched his wife's stomach.

"Yep."

"Can you…like, talk to them, like you do to the planet?" he asked her.

Ifalna shook her head. "We're not telepathic. But I do sense them, just like I sensed Aerith when I first got pregnant."

"Will she sense them?"

"I don't know…I doubt it. It's a mother-child thing, I think," said Ifalna.

"…Wow," said Barnabas. He hunched over, still touching her stomach. "Hey, you two," he said softly, "This is your daddy. I'm really looking forward to meeting you, but if there's any way that you can go easy on a newbie like me…"

"Come to think of it," Ifalna remarked thoughtfully, "This is also a new thing for me too."

"Why?" Barnabas asked, "Because you never had a son?"

"Because I'll be parenting these babies as a free individual," said Ifalna, "I'm not going to have someone dragging me away from them at any given moment…or snatching them away…I mean, I hope that's never going to be the case again…"

Tears suddenly sprang to her eyes.

"Hey, now…" Barnabas consoled her softly, "…there's no need to cry. I guess I should've expected you'd be scared of history repeating itself, but we're not on our own. We've got the resistance watching our backs."

"I know…I'm more happy than scared," Ifalna whispered as she wiped her eyes, "My babies will have such a different life than their sister." She then looked worried. "You don't think Aerith will grow resentful over that, do you?"

Barnabas couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, I'm sorry…it's just that…I never thought that little sweetheart could resent anything."

"I didn't expect Aerith to develop issues seeing how well she adjusted to life here initially," said Ifalna, "But…she did."

"You've been nothing but patient with her," said Barnabas. He kissed her cheek. "You clearly know what you're doing. I hope you're all patient with me. All I know how to do is fight and fix stuff."

Ifalna laughed. "You're funny. You know that Aerith loves you."

"It's amazing how quickly she started calling me 'Daddy'," Barnabas marveled.

"You're going to be fine," said Ifalna, envisioning her future twins clinging to their father's legs in a few years. She saw him playfully chasing after them while they laughed excitedly.

The front door opened and then closed. "I'm home!" Aerith called out.

"Time to tell her the good news, I guess," Barnabas chuckled.

"Indeed," Ifalna said as she stood up. "In here, sweetie…!" she called.

* * *

_Dear Sephiroth,_

_ Mama and Daddy said I'm going to be a big sister already! Its twins! I'm going to have a little brother and a little sister. They told me they'll be born in __Deesembur__. Mama says the babies will come sooner than my friends little brothers and sisters, because we're __speshul__. I used to think being speshul was bad, but it's not. Its the scientists and Shinra people who are bad. I'm still scared of them, but I'm not scared of being speshul. Mama says that's part of why you went away so you wouldn't be scared either. I think I understand better now even __tho__ I still miss you._

_ Do your two friends have any brothers and sisters?_

_Love,_

_Aerith_


End file.
